Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) is a common, spherical, gram-positive bacterium. Worldwide it is a leading cause of illness among children, the elderly, and individuals with debilitating medical conditions (Breiman, R. F. et al., 1994, JAMA 271: 1831). S. pneumoniae is estimated to be the causal agent in 3,000 cases of meningitis, 50,000 cases of bacteremia, 500,000 cases of pneumonia, and 7,000,000 cases of otitis media annually in the United States alone (Reichler, M. R. et al., 1992, J. Infect. Dis. 166: 1346; Stool, S. E. and Field, M. J., 1989 Pediatr. Infect. Dis J. 8: S11). In the United States alone, 40,000 deaths result annually from S. pneumoniae infections (Williams, W. W. et al., 1988 Ann. Intern. Med. 108: 616) with a death rate approaching 30% from bacteremia (Butler, J. C. et al., 1993, JAMA 270: 1826). Pneumococcal pneumonia is a serious problem among the elderly of industrialized nations (Kayhty, H. and Eskola, J., 1996 Emerg. Infect. Dis. 2: 289) and is a leading cause of death among children in developing nations (Kayhty, H. and Eskola, J., 1996 Emerg. Infect. Dis. 2: 289; Stansfield, S. K., 1987 Pediatr. Infect. Dis. 6: 622).
Vaccines against S. pneumoniae have been available for a number of years. There are a large number of serotypes based on the polysaccharide capsule (van Dam, J. E., Fleer, A., and Snippe, H., 1990 Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 58: 1) although only a fraction of the serotypes seem to be associated with infections (Martin, D. R. and Brett, M. S., 1996 N. Z. Med. J. 109: 288). A multivalent vaccine against capsular polysaccharides of 23 serotypes (Smart, L. E., Dougall, A. J. and Gridwood, R. W., 1987 J. Infect. 14: 209) has provided protection for some groups but not for several groups at risk for pneumococcal infections, such as infants and the elderly (Makel, P. H. et al., 1980 Lancet 2: 547; Sankilampi, U., 1996 J. Infect. Dis. 173: 387). Conjugated pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide vaccines have somewhat improved efficacy, but are costly and, therefore, are not likely to be in widespread use (Käyhty, H. and Eskola, J., 1996 Emerg. Infect. Dis. 2: 289).
At one time, S. pneumoniae strains were uniformly susceptible to penicillin. The report of a penicillin-resistant strain of (Hansman, D. and Bullen, M. M., 1967 Lancet 1: 264) was followed rapidly by many reports indicating the worldwide emergence of penicillin-resistant and penicillin non-susceptible strains (Klugman, K. P., 1990 Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 3: 171). S. pneumoniae strains which are resistant to multiple antibiotics (including penicillin) have also been observed recently within the United States (Welby, P. L., 1994 Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. 13: 281; Ducin, J. S. et al., 1995 Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. 14: 745; Butler, J. C., 1996 J. Infect. Dis. 174: 986) as well as internationally (Boswell, T. C. et al., 1996; J. Infect. 33: 17; Catchpole, C., Fraise, A., and Wise, R., 1996 Microb. Drug Resist. 2: 431; Tarasi, A. et al., 1997 Microb. Drug Resist. 3: 105).
A high incidence of morbidity is associated with invasive S. pneumoniae infections (Williams, W. W. et al., 1988 Ann. Intern. Med. 108: 616). Because of the incomplete effectiveness of currently available vaccines and antibiotics, the identification of new targets for antimicrobial therapies, including, but not limited to, the design of vaccines and antibiotics, which may help prevent infection or that may be useful in fighting existing infections, is highly desirable.